1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the alignment and fastening of an optical fiber and an active optoelectronic component. It also concerns the method of alignment of this device.
The optoelectronic components involved with the invention are those of the semiconductor type, such as lasers, electroluminescent diodes, photodiodes or phototransistors for example. It is known that, to associate these components with an optical fiber, it is necessary to align the optical axis of the fiber on the optical axis of the component with very high precision: for example, with a laser, the alignment should be done to within one micron or with even greater precision.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, there are two methods that can be used to align an optical fiber on an optoelectronic component. The first method consists of shifting the fiber within a drop of a solidifiable product placed so as to face the component. This product is either a drop of molten soft solder or a drop of glue that can be polymerized by a flash of light. During a process of dynamic adjusting, the drop is solidified when the optimum degree of coupling is achieved. The drawback of this method is that, during the solidification of the drop, the forces of contraction shift the fiber and sometimes shear it.
In the second method, the component is fixed to a first support and the fiber to a second support. These two supports have two common plane surfaces that are orthogonal to each other. Shifting the first support in relation to the second support along a first plane enables adjustments to be made in two directions of space: let us call them x and y. Then, shifting two supports in a second plane enables adjustments to be made in the third direction which is z. The drawback of this method is that it calls for two sliding systems, namely four plane surfaces machined to a precision of greater than one micron. The geometry of the supports and their machining makes the method costly. As a result, the device in which an optical fiber is aligned on a component by this second method is also costly.